The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1887-06-24
BATTLE FLAGS.

ture tie South by returning the
battle flags captured by the union
soldiers. Who wants the rotten
rags? What care we for al old flag
surrendered twenty-five years ago
and The cause over which it so
grandly, sublimely and courageously
waved has been buried, and lost
long since? " lat cares
the South for a tatteied, torn, bull
let rlddled rag, that we once loved
with all our heart and on q hundred
battle fields offered our lives in its
defence? What cares the South for
4 flag that waved over a cause that
Hampton, Ransom, Lamar, Go!don
and a thousand other leaders in the
lost cause say ought not to have
succeeded? Cleveland must think
tue price of Southern fealty to bis
cause is very cheap, if few rags
which be and Grady and others of
like minds say is the only black spot
on the American Union and is a
type Of treason to that union. God
forbid we should ever utter one
.ord against that fag or the cause
it represented or the gallant brave
boys that defended both as no ban
Der or cause was ever defended be-
fore. 1t would have been all the
winding sheet we would have desired,
had We fallen in its defence, and we
honor it now and the cause it typi-
| fed, and with sad heat and a
| heavy soul we have 9rieved twenty
two years because o. the failure OF
the South to establish its Independ-
ence. But we would not have these
.rmi nde of our defeat and lost
cause cent back to us; and we dCS~
pise the nar,OG minded lUtle sOuled
creature who would return them.
They are worthless and ifthey afford
any comfort and consolation to the
North and its shoulders to hold
them in the name of God let them
hold them forever, for they PAID
truly dear price for them. Each
one captured cost them not less than
five thousand men, and we would
have been glad that fifty thousand
men could have been made to bite the
dust for each one. No, no, we
want none of these flags. They have
served their purpose, and now let
them rest. The time has been when
they were ours and foated proudly
and tr!umphantly in the face of the
North and no one not even Grover
Cleveland dared to insult it. All
can spit upon IL now. Let Mr..
Cleveland return to the South and
the Democratic party that which they
Of right are justly entitled to and
keep his useless flags stored away TO
lem'nd the world in future ages that
the Nor til once met foe worthy
t.riI steel from the Southland. so
""rihN, SO brave, SO maliy, so proud
TIT it deems it It's duty 10 preserve
T. ever the trophies wres, ed from a
To-. five times less in number than
Themselves aud with inferior arms,
vs., let him render unto Cesar the
things that are C@sar's, and unto
the Democratic party the thin gs that
bvluog TO it , and we shall be ea,iis
fed and so will the South and the
Democratic party.
Since writing the above we see Cleve.
land has backed down apd took the
back rack and cancelled his order to
retain the fage. The old fellows back
bone was not strong enough 10 sand
the pressure OF the Northern people
and they could not tolerate The idea
Of surrendeTing the flags which cost
them so much blood, suffering and
money to capture. Well these honor
ed Old rags that made the bows
skedaddle so often on the other side
and made so many hundred thousand
o. hem bite the dust a~e theirs and
and they have q right to them. They
won them 10y four years of bloody
war and hard fighting ard it is
nothing less than treason in CleVo
land to them and to the South aod
vae Democratic party to ST. elce-
them. I his is great blunder IN
the man IN the White House and
will be made a Trojan Horse in the
next campaign, and will defeat
!, Cleveland in the next DemOcra, c
convention. The flags ought not &c
DE "eCurned. No Southern 1e1t!e-
man warts them retr ned, and nc
body but crank AID hynocr e
; would ever have thought Of return
| ing them. Now Mr.. Cleveland we
} have no earthly use for these faos
we can not ever use them Tor swad>
) ling clothes. They will ncithe:
feed nor cloth one single human be